-Caitlin Irwin with her gold medal from the Lake Louise Loppet which was on Sunday-
Pete Irwin is one of our regulars who posts trip reports(under “Pete”). He is also the father of two young skiers, Caitlin and Megan, who won gold medals in the Lake Louise Loppet on Sunday.
It’s great to see all the parents who take their children skiing and encourage them to participate, whether they win or not.
Congratulations to Caitlin for her win in the 2K Girls 9-10 age group with a time of 10:28
L to R, Findlay Eyre, Megan Irwin, and Alison Gartner
There’s a story which goes along with Megan Irwin’s win (See the photo at the side):
Pete explains:
Megan skied the whole way with her two friends and training partners Finn and Alison and they were all trying to finish with the exact same times. At the finish it didn’t turn out that way and Megan was upset she didn’t tie gold with her buddy Alison. However all three had a great day at the loppet and really enjoyed themselves!
Video of 1K and 2K start of Lake Louise Loppet (provided by Pete)
And I would like to extend a shout-out to all of the coaches in the many ski clubs in the area who encourage and help hundreds of kids (and adults) develop a love for cross country skiing. As an example, the three coaches with Foothills Nordic: Eric Groeneveld, Fraser Mills-Connery and Tyson Smith all had their beginnings as tiny jackrabbits encouraged by their parents and coaches. Eric had his beginnings with the Canmore Nordic Ski Club at an early age, Fraser started skiing at 2 and Tyson competed in his first race, the Cookie race when he was 5. Their profiles can be viewed at:
https://foothillsnordic.ca/coaching-staff/
It was a hell ov a lot cheaper than downhill, LOL. So far one of the girls has shown a continued interest….
Hey Bob, always enjoy the trip reports and the latest trail info. Fully agree that some kudos are needed for the parents in supporting our kids. Let’s not forget about the countless volunteers that are needed to run ski clubs and programs. Without volunteers great events like the Lake Louise Loppett, Cookie Race, Alberta Cups, etc. do not occur. Amazing how a simple “thank you volunteers !” sounds to those who quietly support these events.
Hear Hear! Volunteers from the Calgary Ski Club (and elsewhere) were amazing in their selflessly braving the coldness that morning and in their encouragement for ALL participants; appreciate all that when in to preparations before hand to make the Loppet a great success. Would love to see a more historical ‘theme’ and skiers on wood given Parks mandate -something I’m going to try for next year.